Thursday, February 16, 2012

Flightpath 07’s review of AF Vol. 4 Issue # 5

Review: Alpha Flight, Volume IV, Issue # 5

(Flightpath 07 – that’s me!)


Again, we open with Walter Langkowski’s scribbled notes, left for himself because he is worried that Department H’s assertation that he has suffered too many concussions and may have memory loss, are real. Nothing much new here.

Huge parade for Department H’s warriors, led by Alpha Strike’s Citadel, covered by national television. Huge banners with Prime Minister Gary Cody’s face all over them. Along with wanted posters, featuring Alpha Flight. Cut to Alpha Flight, hiding in an alley behind a dumpster, looking none too impressed with the proceedings. (Question: Does Puck really NEED to bend down in order to hide behind a dumpster?)

Snowbird displays a little bit of haughtiness (No, not hawty-ness; sorry) at the people of Canada being sheep, and Guardian cuts her off. It seems that mac is back to being the embodiment of the spirit of Canada and all that.

Enter Puck’s ‘friend’, the one they were waiting in the alley for. His name is Taskmaster, and the way he tries to skewer Puck and filet-mignon him has everybody more than a little worried in that cramped alleyway.

After the too go at it, in words as well as with fighting skills, Puck gets the better of him, and then the two have a good laugh. And a very nice panel with Guardian and Aurora looking on, very funny exchange happening there.

Ends up, Mac wants taskmaster to teach the people they rescued last issue, how to fight. Taskmaster wants to get paid, of course. So…

Now we get Alpha Flight robbing a bank! The one they hit just happens to use its funds to support the crooked government run by Gary Cody, but surely that is just a coincidence…right?

The bank is surrounded. Citadel watches from outside, allowing the cameras to record footage of AF robbing the bank. When Department H soldiers open fire, Snow bird first chastises Aurora (with concern) over her cowering in fear, then gives the mortals a strong warning against pissing her off.

Puck mocks Citadel, making him angry enough to charge into the bank earlier than he should have; all part of Mac’s plan, of course. Mac uses his suit to magnetize Citadel’s adamantium exo-skeleton, with disastrous (for Citadel) results. Taskmaster (waiting on a rooftop nearby) blows up the bank, allowing AF to escape into the sewers during the confusion. Marrina freaks out that they robbed a bank and left her behind – priceless.

In the new AF base camp in the Yukon, Walter is studying the alien technology (they took it from the mining camp they raided last issue), and knows that it is Plodex tech, and that the Master of the World is behind all of this, somehow. Kyle is on tv, renouncing AF and Northstar.

Taskmaster trains Alice Hu and the others in the use of how to fight in their groundhog armour. Do we see Alice Hu take down Guardian, then walk by and goose him? Well yes, yes we do.

Gary Cody, Vindicator, and the Master, all talking, wondering what Guardian is up to. Aurora shows up, wanting them to free her of her Aurora personality, leaving her with just Jeanne-Marie. Shaman appears to the Aurora personality (who is trapped in a psychic prison within Jeanne-Marie’s head), telling her that this is all part of a plan Mac has been working on, and that she must not lose hope.



All in all, the artwork is as good as ever; love the fight scene betwene Puck and Taskmaster, as well as the panel where AF announce they are robbing the bank. Great stuff!

All the characterization was pretty good, and the dialogue kept the story moving and stayed true to what has come before.

The heroes stayed heroic, even while robbing a bank; that's impressive!



Writers: Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
Pencils: Dale Eaglesham
Inks: unknown - possibly Dale Eaglesham?
Colours: Sonia Oback
Letterer: Simon Bowland
My issue’s cover by: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz, and Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Mark Paniccia


My ratings for this issue:
Art: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Dialogue: 10/10
Intangibles (or, as some call it, Alpha-Flight-iness): 10/10


I’m giving this one 40 Maple Leafs out of 40!

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